An Outlaw's Reality
by MeiDarkreign
Summary: This is the sequel to The fourteenth Heifon Space Race. This takes place thirty years after the Leyline incident. Chapter 10 now up!
1. Default Chapter

A/N Please read full author note at the end of the chapter. All disclaimers and notes are there.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Everything was so cold, yet it seemed not to bother her. She shivered nonetheless. A whoosh type sound caught in her ears, followed by a creaking noise. Her body gave way and fell soundly to the metal floor. It was freezing and seemed to meld her skin to it.  
  
She tried to move her arms up near her head so as to get up, but they merely twitched. Several times she tried this until finally she managed to move them. However, when she went to push herself up, all she managed to do was roll herself over.  
  
The room was gray and had a somber atmosphere. A chamber of some sort was directly in front of her, its hatch open. Panic struck her. What had happened to her? The last thing she remembered was being controlled at the Galactic Leyline. Kashamie had been trying to get her out of there.  
  
Once more, she tried to sit up, this time succeeding. Her muscles felt very stiff, as if they had atrophied. She nearly fell over as she stood, but she caught herself. A tickling sensation was felt in the middle of her back. She spun around, but found nothing except a large frosted window, nearly fifty feet in both directions.  
  
The sensation came again and again she spun around and again she found nothing. She then felt her back, finding something stringy. She pulled at it, causing a slight pulling of her scalp. She pulled it in front of her. Golden strands wove delicately between her glove-covered fingers. It was her hair. How long had she been in there?  
  
Instinctively she checked for her weapons, finding none. As well, she realized she was in different clothes than when she went to the Leyline. She was wearing all black, including a tight turtleneck instead of her white tank-top.  
  
She was confused. Nothing made any sort of sense. And where was Kashamie? She must have been the one to bring her here. That gave rise to a new question: Where was she?  
  
Being extremely careful to not trip, she walked to the large frosted window. She couldn't see anything out of it. It was cold to the touch. Water droplets began to run down from where her hand was. She made a wide sweeping motion with her hand and looked out the window.  
  
It was a frozen wasteland. Nothing moved, except the things that yielded to the wind. Parts of ships lay scattered about, icicles hanging from various places. She could see other parts of the building. No activity could be found.  
  
She inched away from the window, taking everything in. She was most likely alone here and probably had no way to escape. Something then struck her. Perhaps the Venus Eclipse was around somewhere. Maybe, maybe it had only been a few days and Kashamie was waiting for her. She had to find out.  
  
Rapidly, she set out to find the ship. The facility was huge, however, she found what she was looking for after two hours of searching.  
  
The Venus Eclipse was stationed at a dock, but no activity seemed to be coming from it. Her heart leaped in joy. She ran as fast as she was able over to the docking hatch.  
  
The docking hatch was closed, but not locked. She, with a little effort, managed to pull it open and step inside.  
  
Nothing had changed. Everything was as she remembered it, except that no power was on.  
  
She headed to the cockpit. When she was there, she called out a familiar name. "Venec! Venec, wake up! It's me, Maki!" All of the sudden, hundreds of little lights came on. A voice spoke.  
  
"Maki? What can I do for you?"  
  
Maki smiled. "Can you tell me how long it has been since we got here?"  
  
"Yes. We have been here for approximately thirty years."  
  
That hit her like a critical wound. She needed to ask another question before she panicked completely. "Where is Kashamie?"  
  
"Kashamie Manare is dead. She died thirty years ago."  
  
Maki fell to the floor. How the hell could this be happening? Her best friend was dead and she had been asleep for thirty years. What did she do to deserve this?  
  
"Venec, how. how did she die?" She was on the verge of tears.  
  
"Pirates were after you and you were still weak, so she took you here to Galactica to get you healed. They put you in a cryostasis pod so you could heal, but the pirates came. They killed everyone at this facility. Kashamie knew what she had to do, so she drew all of them outside, then had me use a nuclear warhead. She, of course, did not survive. You survived the radiation because you are not susceptible to it."  
  
Warm tears ran in rivers down her cold cheeks. Kashamie had died to save her. "Venec, how long will it take you to get ready for a launch?"  
  
"Four hours. However, I am low on fuel. Where do you wish to go?"  
  
"Blue Heaven."  
  
"That is possible. However, I must be refueled and repaired once we get there."  
  
"Understood. I'm going to look around this place for a bit. Oh, by the way, are my weapons onboard?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Alright. I will be back here in four hours." Maki held herself tightly for a moment, then she stood up and went back to the facility.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Why did she have to die? She hadn't done anything to deserve it. Nothing would ever bring her back.  
  
Maki dwelled on the past as she explored the huge facility. Everything was gray and cold. She tried to imagine it filled with people, but she couldn't.  
  
A clatter of metal caught her attention. It had come from a room up ahead. She silently tip-toed over to it and inched her head around the corner. Standing on top of a desk was a small robot. Below the robot were a few pieces of scrap metal.  
  
Hello there. Who are you?" Maki walked in slowly. The little robot turned its head towards her. It had a round head with tow big eyes and a mouth. It jumped down from the desk and marched up to Maki. "Hello. Are you the only one here?" It nodded its head. Maki frowned. "Can you do anything?"  
  
"I am programmed to offer mechanical assistance," it said in a mechanical voice.  
  
"Oh, so you can talk?"  
  
"Only if needed."  
  
Maki felt sorry for it. It was all alone. "Would you like to come with me and help me aboard my ship?" It nodded. "Well then, come with me."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Blue Heaven hadn't changed much on the outside. It still looked like a giant asteroid. However, there were many new ships docked in the docks.  
  
Maki paid for the Venus Eclipse's dock and told the robot to stay onboard. As she was exiting the ship, she noticed something. It was a red ship that looked like the Outlaw Star. She shook her head. It couldn't be the Outlaw Star. Then she noticed the hull. "Outlaw Star." Her jaw dropped. They were here.  
  
She raced into the city to find any member of the Outlaw Star. As lick would have it, she ran head on into one of them. As they both stood up, Maki noticed that it was Melfina. "Melfina! I'm so glad to see you!" She began to think that maybe Venec's memory banks had been tampered with and that it hadn't been thirty years. Melfina looked as she always did.  
  
"Oh, Maki. How nice to see you. I haven't seen you in thirty years." Maki's hopes dropped. Melfina was a bio android, so of course she wouldn't have aged.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Is Gene here?"  
  
"No. In fact, the only person here that you would know, besides me, is Aisha. But I don't know where she is."  
  
"That's. alright. Say, how about we meet at the inn in about two hours? I need to get some things, but then we can talk."  
  
"Okay. See you then."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Oh man, caster shells are a pain in the ass to find. She was now in the fifth weapons shop today. Finding .38 cartridges were easy, but caster shells were almost extinct. All she had been able to find was one number three.  
  
She walked around in a kind of daze. When she was about to leave, she spotted a small box on a shelf. As she got closer she saw it was a box with various caster shells.  
  
As she was about to pick it up, a man reached for it as well. "Excuse me sir, but I found them first." She tried to have a nice tone in her voice, for this man was over half a foot taller than she was and didn't look like a pushover.  
  
"You're mistaken. I saw them first."  
  
"No, I did." Maki hardened her voice slightly.  
  
"I doubt that. Besides, what use would these be to you?" He had an annoying smirk on his face. She wanted to smack it off.  
  
"I have a caster. I need caster shells. These are caster shells." She grabbed a hold of the box and so did the man.  
  
"But I also have a caster and I need caster shells."  
  
"Well, you're gonna have to take them from me." She pulled on the box.  
  
"That's funny. You actually think it would be difficult to take them?"  
  
"Yeah, I do."  
  
"Hey! No fighting in here!" The man a t the counter said.  
  
"Well, what else do you suggest?" The tall man said. If he hadn't been trying to take the caster shells, she may have thought he was good looking.  
  
"Split the box. You each get four caster shells."  
  
"But they're different kinds," Maki said.  
  
The man at the counter sighed. "Give them to me. I'll give them out."  
  
Maki and the man she was fighting with handed the box over at the same time. The man distributed them. "Now, get out!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
She rolled the four caster shells around in her palm. She had a number 7, a number 11, a number 15, and an unknown shell. It looked like it said 9, but number 9 shells didn't exist. At least, she didn't think they did. She remembered hearing about them from a weapons dealer one time, but he was a crazy old man.  
  
That man in the store had wasted her time. She now only had forty-five minutes before she had to meet Melfina by the inn. Well, she could shop for clothes with Melfina. Right now she wanted to go back to the ship and put the caster shells in her safe.  
  
Most people didn't use casters thirty years ago, and only a handful probably used them now. In a few years, she would either have a weapons dealer custom make some caster shells, or she would have to sell her caster to a museum.  
  
Quite a few museums would be happy to buy a caster in excellent condition, but not many would buy a well used one. However, she would have no trouble selling hers.  
  
Only ten of her model of caster had ever been made. And only one had found its way into a museum. It was an X-19 Shockwave caster. What made this caster special was that it fired the caster shell, but it also absorbed the force of it being shot, formed it into a beam and shot it out right after the shell. It basically let you get two caster shells out of one. If your enemy somehow survived the initial attack, it would be wiped out by the shock beam. However, the beam would not trigger if you shot a 17 or higher shell, since the caster would break from the force of a shock blast that high.  
  
Maki sighed. She had owned this caster for years. Tuno Fardrect had given it to her as a thank you for stopping the C'tarl museum from being blown to smithereens. At first, she didn't know what to do with it. All it seemed to be was a purple piece of metal with a silver handle. Soon after, however, she learned how nice it was to have around when people were after her head.  
  
As she though of this, she failed to notice that the man from the weapons store was by her ship and looking very interested. He gazed upward at it and did not move.  
  
Maki almost walked into him, but realized who it was. She tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to face her. He was a good-looking man, with unruly black hair and beautiful sapphire eyes. His eyes were the only source of color about him, for everything he wore was dark. She hadn't noticed any of this before because she had been fighting with him.  
  
She shook her head, "What are you doing?" Her voice was ice.  
  
"I'm admiring this ship. It's not often that you see a grappler ship around here." He had no clue that this ship belonged to her. In fact, he didn't seem to realize that she was the one that had been arguing with him in the store.  
  
"No, it isn't. But don't you think you are just a bit close to it? The owner probably doesn't want strangers this close to it."  
  
"I think the owner would be happy to know that his ship is being admired."  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
She grabbed his shirt and pulled him close. "Because I'm the owner of this ship!"  
  
"Hey, you're that woman from the store!"  
  
"No shit Sherlock. Now go away!"  
  
"Why? I just want to look at it."  
  
"I said," she balled her hand into a fist and punched him in the face, sending him flying across the floor. "Go away!"  
  
The man now had a shocked look on his face. He didn't think she was that strong. He stood up and put on his annoying smirk. "Not bad for a woman. But I can do better than that." He put up his fists. It didn't seem like he knew a specific style of martial arts; just street fighting. That was just fine for Maki. She was a master of street fighting.  
  
She stepped back with her right foot and, instead of putting her hands in fists, put her hands flat, like blades. "I was warming up. That was a weak punch."  
  
"I'll say. And I bet all of your punches are the same."  
  
At that instant, she charged at him, mouthing the word "idiot." She ducked beneath his punch and did an uppercut to his abdomen. However, he was quick. He did a roundhouse to the right side of her head, sending her off a few feet. He placed a hand where she had hit him. She wasn't kidding.  
  
Maki sat up and rubbed her neck, then she stood up. That had hurt, but she wouldn't let him know that. "I thought you said you could do better."  
  
"I can. That punch didn't hurt at all."  
  
Both of them were lying through their teeth. Both attacks had hurt like hell.  
  
Again, Maki charged, but the man did also. In seconds, their fists collided and their knees collided. Sharp pains went through their bodies.  
  
Maki knew she couldn't keep like that, so she quickly stepped to the right, causing him to lose his balance. She then grabbed his arm and attempted to throw him, but he was faster.  
  
He wrapped his arm around her middle and hurled her into the wall. "Damn! You aren't as light as I thought you would be," he said, smirk still on his face.  
  
Maki shakily stood up, blood running from the corner of her mouth. "Well, you aren't much of a feather yourself." She smirked at him.  
  
"Touché."  
  
Maki laughed. "You think you can do better than me, but you've already run out of comebacks. And I hope you actually know the meaning of touché and that it isn't your idea of a comeback."  
  
His smirk went away. "You actually know the meaning of touché?"  
  
"Yeah. It's not that difficult of a word."  
  
"Amazing. No one I've said it to knew what it meant. Why do you?"  
  
"I lived on Earth for a few years. But enough about that. Weren't we in the middle of a fight?" She stepped into her fighting stance again. He did as well.  
  
This time, the man charged at her, but she stood where she was with a smirk on her face. When he was about ten feet in front of her, she jumped to the side and on top of some metal boxes, grabbing a rod as she went up. She then jumped up high.  
  
He never saw it coming. She landed and flattened herself close to the floor. She swung the rod in a wide arc at his head. With a crunch he flew forty feet and then crashed into the Venus Eclipse's hull.  
  
She stood up and dropped the rod, an evil smile on her lips. Suddenly, with no warning, someone jumped on her and scratched her back, taking away a chunk of fabric.  
  
She fell to the floor and rolled over. Her assailant, who was ready to smash her head in, stopped. It was Aisha. She sat up and Aisha helped her stand up. "Hello Aisha."  
  
Aisha hugged Maki tightly. "Maki! It's been forever!"  
  
Maki pushed Aisha away. Aisha looked sad. "It's not you. You just hug too tight."  
  
"Oh, sorry about that. Now why were you fighting Strife?"  
  
"Strife?"  
  
"Me." Maki turned around and saw the man limping toward them.  
  
"Oh. You."  
  
"Aisha, why didn't you kick the crap out of her? She was trying to kill me."  
  
Aisha stared coldly at him. "You must have deserved it. Maki would never hurt anybody unless they deserved it." She stuck her tongue out at him. He had a confused look on his face.  
  
"What? You're taking her side?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. She's my friend."  
  
Strife fell over. "What! How? Never mind."  
  
Aisha laughed. "You see, Maki? Just confuse him and he's like putty."  
  
Maki smiled and laughed. "I'll have to remember that."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Aisha had insisted that Maki have lunch with her and the new crew of the Outlaw Star. She couldn't refuse that.  
  
Melfina was right about her and Aisha being the only two she knew. The others were Strife, the annoying man she had been fighting, Kitty, Aisha's daughter who looked exactly like her mother, Jess, Jim's daughter who was also taller than Maki, and Hiro, Sazuka's son. Everyone, except Strife, welcomed her.  
  
"My dad told me about you. He said that you could be a pain sometimes, but that you were a pain for a good reason. He said that you once drugged Gene so that they wouldn't get hurt when you fought Hazanko," Jess said. She was a nice girl; much like her father.  
  
"Yeah, I remember that. He was really angry at the time." Maki took a small bite out of an egg roll.  
  
"So," Hiro said, "is it true that you have a 50 million wong bounty on your head?"  
  
Maki nodded. "Yeah. Although, I wouldn't try to cash in. I'm worth that much for a reason." She just smiled at him. He smiled back.  
  
Strife grinned wide. Now he could kill her and not get in so much trouble. It would be worth the pain, too.  
  
"Although, Mel and I, plus Gene and Jim, know that it was never her fault to begin with. She just pissed off the wrong guy, that's all. She didn't even kill anybody to get that bounty on her head," Aisha explained. Shit, Strife thought. His plan went up in smoke.  
  
They talked all day and nearly all night like this.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"You sure you don't want to go with us for awhile?" Melfina asked Maki as she was getting ready to board the Venus Eclipse.  
  
Maki gently smiled. "I'm sure. Besides, I need to find a crew for my ship. It's hard to run it alone. But I will keep in touch."  
  
"Alright. Goodbye!" Melfina said.  
  
"Goodbye!" Aisha, Jess, Kitty, and Hiro said. Jess elbowed Strife and gave him a cold stare.  
  
"Goodbye and good riddance!" He said.  
  
"Bye!" Maki climbed inside the ship.  
  
Everyone watched as she launched the ship. Maki was going to take it everywhere.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N Sorry I didn't put everything at the top, but I had to add the A/N's after I typed this up, and it was messing up the document when I put more than a few lines in.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Outlaw Star, nor do I own this universe of it, and nor do I own Strife, Jess, Kitty, or Hiro. They all belong to AlphaBlades, not Outlaw Star of course. Just this universe and those four characters. He also owns a character named Jay, but he hasn't come into my story yet.  
  
What I own: Not a whole lot. I own Maki and the Venus Eclipse, but that's about it. I'll bring in new characters that are mine too, but not at this moment.  
  
Anyway, this chapter was a pilot chapter, which means that most of what happened in this chapter does not affect the real storyline. Strife and Maki actually meet somewhere different, and you can see this meeting in AlphaBlades's An Outlaw's Dream, chapter 20.  
  
Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. This was just to see if you liked the new plot. Note: Everything up to the point where Maki boarded the Venus Eclipse with the little robot has happened in the real storyline. The thing on Blue Heaven didn't happen.  
  
Please R&R. "See ya, for now." 


	2. A meeting with Strife

A/N I think the author note in the pilot chapter may have confused a few people. Basically, everything on Blue Heaven did not actually happen. Consider that part an alternate universe. However, Maki did wake up like that and did find the robot and went to her ship. However, the ship did not leave the planet. Instead, it is still on the planet, but in a big city. Okay. Hopefully you understand now.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Galactica. I do not own Strife, Jessica Hawking, or Kitty Clan Clan. They all belong to AlphaBlades. Nor do I own the Ka- Shinta or Ketsu. Plus, most of the fight scene and the dialogue belong to him. To see what I mean, read this first and then check out AlphaBlades' story, An Outlaw's Dream and read chapter 20.  
  
I own Maki, the Venus Eclipse, Kashamie, and Tuno. And that's about it.  
  
Hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The streets seemed normal, like the ones thirty years ago, but everything else had changed. The buildings were much nicer and more complex and the people were strangely nice. The people at the docks wouldn't repair her ship for free, but they did let her dock her ship for free.  
  
It had been so long since anyone had been nice to her. Kashamie.. She really did not want to think about her. She had given her life to save her, but Kashamie did not deserve to be blown into oblivion. This whole predicament was her fault. If she hadn't been so weak, Kashamie would not have died. No one would have suffered.  
  
Tears streamed gently down her smooth cheeks and rolled off her crimson lips. She must have looked like a mental institute patient that had escaped. She wore all black and only her head was exposed. Plus, she walked slowly and probably had a frightened look in her slate blue eyes.  
  
Someone snickered near her and it was an ill-meant snicker. She turned to her left and saw two tall, muscular men walking toward her. She decided to not get involved and ran behind a large building. Someone else snickered.  
  
"Where do ya think you're goin', Sweetheart?" This man was even larger than the other two, who were now on either side of her. She really did not want to deal with these asses right now.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
The largest man smiled. "We want you. You see, our boss, Ketsu, knows you're a bio-android, and that you were somewhere here on Galactica, but he didn't know where. So, he dispatched quite a few members of the Ka-Shinta to go and find you. So, are you going to cooperate, or not?"  
  
"Maki clenched her fists. "You're pirates, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes, we are."  
  
"Then I say: SCREW YOU! I am not going anywhere with you!" She launched herself towards the largest man. He tried to attack her, but was much too slow. She performed a strong uppercut to his abdomen and did a sweep kick and knocked his feet out from under him. She moved away from all three of them, but could not get away.  
  
She heard more footsteps coming. Ah hell, she thought. I'll deal with that guy later. One of the smaller men approached her. She slid to the left of him and swung her leg at his head, performing a perfect roundhouse. Before he hit the ground, she heard another coming up behind her. She swung her leg backward and up vertically, smashing him between his legs. She whipped around and landed a full-force punch dead center between his eyes. He whined like a little girl.  
  
The third man grabbed her from behind and held tight to her shirt. The largest man, now off the ground, began to ram his fists into her stomach. She brought her knee up to his stomach, stopping his punches, and then she straightened her leg and shoved him away. She took this opportunity to try and break the man's grasp on her. As she ran, the shirt gave way and ripped. Then things began to suck.  
  
All three men were upon her, punching and kicking, even when she hit the ground. The blows only stung, but she had to let them wear themselves out.  
  
Suddenly, the man that had been kicked in the most unflattering way was on the ground, unconscious. She heard someone speak.  
  
"Now, how can you just gang up on such an innocent girl?" It was a male voice. She looked up.  
  
"Hey! I'm far from innocent." She stood up to face him. He was well built and sported unruly black hair and blue eyes. He smiled at her.  
  
"Yeah, whatever babe." He did not just say that, Maki thought. Oh, he is dead.  
  
"What did you call me?" She began to walk towards him.  
  
He backed up and waved his arms. "Hey! I'm on YOUR side!" He then noticed the two conscious men were still around. "Oh yeah, sorry I forgot about you guys. You want to run off before this gets serious?" He pulled out a gun and ran off.  
  
Maki was now really pissed. "You let them get away! They were pirates!"  
  
"Heh, sure they were. Listen, youngin'. Why don't you run back to school?"  
  
Youngin'? "..I'm nineteen.."  
  
He almost hit the floor. "Holy crap, you are one SHORT chick!"  
  
It was true, Maki was only 5'6", but he didn't need to point that out. She crossed her arms and turned away from him.  
  
"Hey look, I was just playing with y_" He stopped his sentence.  
  
Maki turned back to him. "What is it?"  
  
"There are pirates around here, but it wasn't any of those guys," he raised his 9mm to her head, "it's you."  
  
"What? What are you talking about?"  
  
"The tattoo on your back, a skull with a black snake going through the eyes, it's the pirate's insignia."  
  
"Oh, dammit! It is? I didn't know. I got it like thir.." Her voice trailed off.  
  
"What's the matter?" He actually cared?  
  
"Nothing, you wouldn't understand.."  
  
"Oh yeah? Try me."  
  
She took a deep breath. "I've been frozen for thirty years.."  
  
"You're lying."  
  
"...I wish I was.. But I lost everyone I cared for! Everyone.. Kashamie.. Tuno.. Hell, I even think I'm going to miss Gene."  
  
"Gene Starwind?"  
  
"Yeah! You know him?"  
  
"Know him? He gave me his caster and his ship."  
  
"No FRIGGEN way! You have to take me to him!"  
  
"I can't right now, he's on Sentinel III but Melfina and Aisha are here. Do you know them?"  
  
"Yes, I do! Can you take me to them?"  
  
"Sure, follow me.. By the way, what's your name?"  
  
"Maki Zouw."  
  
"Nice name. I'm Strife."  
  
"Hmm, original to say the least."  
  
"Heh, let's just go. Oh and take my jacket. I doubt these people want to see a woman all indecent and such." He took off his trench coat and handed it to her.  
  
"Thanks.." She said, grinning and putting it on. It was a little long on her.  
  
Maki filled Strife in on her past, even telling him about the bounty on her head. She told him all about Kashamie and Tuno, and how she missed them. She talked about the space race and how she winded up going to the Leyline.  
  
"You went to the Leyline? Why?"  
  
"It's a long story, but I'm basically a better version of Melfina."  
  
"Hmm? What's Melfina?"  
  
"A bio-android, duh."  
  
He smacked his forehead. "Oh yeah, guess I forgot. I've only heard about that once. So, you're a bio-android too?"  
  
"Yep, but with upgrades, so to speak."  
  
He shrugged. "Eh. Whatever."  
  
"So what's up with you? You got a story?"  
  
"Me? Na, I'm just going to change the whole universe for the better, that's all."  
  
"Why? What's wrong with it?"  
  
"Wow, you really have been out for a long time." He told Maki about the war and how it all started. She was stunned.  
  
"So much happened.. That's unbelievable."  
  
"Yeah, the universe has really changed."  
  
"Not that. The thought that you can actually make it all better."  
  
"Hey! I can and I will."  
  
"To each his own."  
  
He smiled. "Insightful, are ya?"  
  
Maki laughed. "I know some things."  
  
"Yeah, well I've stated all I could about things that happened in the past."  
  
"Pfft, I've LIVED it first hand."  
  
"Ah, touché.."  
  
"Heh, that was lame."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Touché. It means to agree or good point. That was the best you could think of?"  
  
He rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, well I was half expecting you not to know what it means. No one really does nowadays."  
  
She smiled and shook her head. "Guess being old has its perks. So, um, about the Ka-Shinta, more specifically about this Ketsu. What's he like?"  
  
"Eh, I don't really know. All I know is that he's really getting on my bad side as of late. Some refer to him as a Hazanko Jr."  
  
She clenched her fists. She never wanted to here that name.  
  
"Something the matter?"  
  
"No, it's just that name has some bad memories."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. But I know what you mean. He caused pain to a lot of people."  
  
".. Nothing like what I went through.." She mumbled. They were at the bay now and two women came out to greet Strife.  
  
"About time, Strife! We were going to take off without you!" said the C'tarl woman as she slapped Strife on the back. "Who's this?"  
  
"This is Maki." He turned to her. "Oh and so you know, this is Jessica Hawking and Kitty Clan Clan."  
  
She laughed. "Daughters, eh? Damn, I would have never guessed."  
  
Melfina and Aisha came out and were ecstatic. "Maki, you're still alive!" They yelled, running over and hugging her. "And you haven't aged a day."  
  
"I could say the same about you, Mel."  
  
"Hehe, well I was programmed not to age."  
  
Maki turned to Aisha. "You, on the other hand.. Look like my grandmother."  
  
She laughed but Aisha crossed her arms and pouted. "We all can't stay young, Maki."  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
Aisha smiled. "So, where's Kashamie?"  
  
Maki looked at the ground. Strife spoke up. "She's walking around town!"  
  
Maki shook her head. "No, it's ok Strife. I can talk about it.. She's dead, Aisha. She died protecting me as I went into cryostasis. She was a great person; I just wish I could thank her.."  
  
Everyone fell silent. Mel soon spoke up. "Hey, Maki. We're about to leave, how about you join us?"  
  
She smiled and shook her head. "No, that's alright. My ship's on this planet and I can't leave it behind. I'm just trying to find some jobs around here to fix her up to top shape. Thanks for the offer though." She waved and started to walk away. They all waved back.  
  
"Hey, Maki. It was nice to get to know you. Hope we run into each other again," Strife said.  
  
"Yeah and maybe next time I'll be the one saving YOUR ass." She laughed and walked away, still wearing Strife's trench coat. He'll never get it back now, she thought.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N So, how was it? And AlphaBlades did let Maki keep Strife's trench coat. Like I said before, AlphaBlades did most of the fight scene and most of the dialogue, about 90% of each part. However, the next chapter will be independent from AlphaBlades' writing. I will, however, still be using his universe and mentions to some of his characters.  
  
Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. 


	3. Bad day

A/N Yay! I can finally update. My stupid computer wouldn't let me update for about three months. It sucked. But now I can update.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Galactica or Strife. Both belong to AlphaBlades.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Maki couldn't believe how difficult it was to find a job. Although, she did not have very many positive qualities for an employee, but she could change that. She just had to keep her temper in check and seem like she knew what she was doing. And that was another problem. She had barely any skills except for combat and mechanic skills. And Galactica seemed to need neither.  
  
She moved the cartridges in her left pocket around, wondering what to do with them. Strife had been so kind to 'lend' her his trench coat and then forget about it. However, the cartridges were .9mm and shotgun shells, and she possessed neither type of gun. Well, perhaps she could sell them for a decent amount of wong. Though, it didn't seem likely that she would be able to sell them here, so she still needed to find a job.  
  
Her boots clicked on the smooth pavement and the black trench coat dragged a bit on the ground. Damn, Strife was tall. Well, she was more short than he was tall, but the trench coat was still much too long on her. However, she had not the skills nor the time to hem up the edges. She would just have to deal with it until she had enough excess cash to buy new clothes. Unfortunately, all of her old clothes on the Venus Eclipse had been ruined by mold and dust.  
  
A large white sign caught her attention. In large red letters it read: HELP WANTED. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. She immediately bolted into the store. It was a pizzeria. Well, she wasn't the worst cook, so maybe this could work out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
She hung the trench coat on the coat rack, leaving her caster inside a large pocket. If trouble presented itself, at least she wouldn't be completely defenseless. The manager seemed to take pity on her and gave her a position taking orders at the counter. And, he did not mind her absence of a shirt. In fact, he was quite open to the fact. She figured it was a good way to attract customers, or at least a good way to keep the boss happy. Whichever way worked to her advantage. Though, if he laid a hand on her the wrong way, it would be gone in less than a second.  
  
Today was a busy day for the pizzeria. All six registers were in use, and even then the lines were nearly out the door. Maki replaced one of the people at the registers and began taking orders. On one of her five minute breaks, the boss stopped her.  
  
"Maki, could you manage to smile even a little? You look like you're in prison."  
  
Maki did not like to smile, or at least not when she wasn't very happy. "Sorry about that. I'll try."  
  
"I'll be watching you. Now, get back to work."  
  
"Yes sir." She wanted to hit him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
She managed to endure an hour of slight smiling and then she took her lunch break. The other employees taking their lunch breaks talked a little with her, but stopped after she ignored them. She was still not in a talkative mood. She was still getting adjusted to the fact that she had been in cryostasis for thirty years and her best friend was dead. Besides, there was no point in befriending people who would have little to do with her life after she made enough money to get the Venus Eclipse repaired.  
  
"Maki, Maki, Maki! Someone's messing with your jacket. Seems like they found something in one of the pockets," one of the employees said.  
  
Maki jumped up immediately and raced to the back, where the coats and belongings of employees were placed. A young, slender man pulled her caster out of one of the trench coat's pockets and ran out the door. Shit, she thought. Seems her caster is still valuable thirty years into the future.  
  
She thought as she ran after the man. That caster was priceless to her and no one would steal it and get away with it. She could care less about her job right now. Memories from her past were far and few between, and the caster was one of those rare memories. The first man she had ever loved, Tuno Fardrect, had given it to her. In fact, it was the only thing he had ever given her, except for her life of course.  
  
The man was a fast little bastard and agile too. He weaved in and out of buildings and his legs did not give up on him, even when he was on the outskirts of town. But, neither did Maki's. She hunted him down and finally caught up with him at the edge of a cliff. Why he would have chosen to run to a cliff, she had no idea, but he was hers now.  
  
She extended her hand towards the man and flicked her wrist. "Give the caster back to me now, give me a damn good explanation why you stole it, and perhaps I won't injure, severely."  
  
The man edged back. "I can't give it back. I need the money to help my family." His eyes were solid and betrayed him. Maki laughed.  
  
"You truly expect me to believe that? That is the most pathetic attempt of a lie I have ever witnessed. At least look like you're sad and have a weak voice. You just said it so damn plain, it made me laugh. Now, give the caster back to me, or I shall snap your collarbone." It was his turn to laugh.  
  
"A woman like you, break my collarbone? Please. Now that's a pathetic lie."  
  
"It would only be pathetic if it weren't true, but it is. Now, give it back."  
  
He stepped to the edge of the cliff. "Sorry. No can do." He slipped off the edge. Maki rushed over, but she saw nothing. She checked the area but didn't see him. He was going to be down there, though. She quickly ran off to find a safe route down to the base of the cliff.  
  
The man snickered from under the ledge. What an idiot, he though. He repelled down the cliff face, heading down to the space docks below.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The man made his way to a large black ship and went the elevator that would take him up to it. He was about to punch in the code when the woman whose caster he stole knocked him aside. "Do you honestly think I'm that dumb?"  
  
"Yes. RIFT!" he yelled. From the black ship emerged a well-built man who was at least half a foot taller than she was. He scaled the elevator framework and landed in front of the other man. "Babe, you should get out of here. My big brother Rift will kick your ass."  
  
Did he just call her 'babe'? Oh, that was not a wise decision. And Rift seemed to notice. "Davis, you should never call a pissed off woman 'babe'. She'll kill you." Rift seemed the complete opposite of his younger brother Davis. For one thing, he was muscular and had black hair, while Davis lacked muscles and had blond hair. As well, Rift seemed to know how to deal with women better.  
  
"You really think that puny teenager could kill me? I doubt it."  
  
"Well I don't. Now shut up." He turned to Maki, who really wanted to kick someone's ass. "What did Davis do to you?"  
  
"He stole my caster and I want it back. And believe me, I have enough energy to take it with full force if I have to, though you probably don't want to deal with me then, now do you?"  
  
Rift smiled and laughed quietly. "I suppose not. Although, I don't know why he would want to steal a caster. They are all at least thirty to forty years old and most likely in poor shape. As well, the shells are very expensive and hard to find. Are you quite sure he stole a caster from you?"  
  
"Yes, I'm quite sure. It's a Shockwave caster, and it's in near perfect condition." She clenched her fists. Rift noticed.  
  
"I see why he would steal it. Shockwave casters in mint condition are worth a good one billion wong. Which begs the question: why didn't you sell it yourself?" He stopped her before she could answer. "The answer is that it holds sentimental value to you, am I correct?"  
  
"Yes, you are. Now give it back!" She was ready to attack him  
  
"I see you are willing to fight for it. Well then, if you can defeat me, you can have your caster back, but if I defeat you, we get to keep the caster. Deal?"  
  
She shook her head. "If I win, you give me back my caster and you pay for the repairs to my ship. If I lose, you may keep the caster and whatever interests you on my ship. Deal?" Rift nodded.  
  
"Well then, shall we begin?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N Okay, so not much happening through most of this chapter. Sorry about that, but the soon the chapters will get really interesting. This is what happens when your computer won't let you log in. Well, I'll try to update soon, if anybody still cares. 


	4. Bad memories

A/N Here is the next chapter. This one has a lot more action in it, so it shouldn't bore you to tears.  
  
Disclaimer: Galactica belongs to AlphaBlades.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Maki faced her opponent, her fists up and in front of her chest. She studied her opponent, Rift. He moved into a similar stance but kept his fists lower. His jade eyes looked cautious and he held himself in a cautious manner. He was not going to take her lightly. It seemed that he had a great deal more sense than his younger brother.  
  
Davis stood between them, ready to give the go-ahead for the fight. A lot was at stake, well to Maki there was, and they would both make sure the fight was fair so as not to complicate anything.  
  
"Ready..." Davis held up his arm and backed away from between them. He dropped his arm. "Begin!"  
  
Rift made the first move. He feinted to the right and brought his heel into Maki's side with a powerful hook kick. It winded her, but did not knock her over. She countered with roundhouse to the right side of his head, causing him to stumble a few feet back. He was strong, or she was just not used to fighting again. It had been thirty years since she had really fought, with the exception of the three pirates that assaulted her in the alleyway.  
  
Rift lunged at her, trying to hit her middle, but she was too short and he was too tall, and his fists colliding with hers. Sharp pains traveled up his arms and caused him to withdraw them from Maki's fists. She took the opportunity to perform her favorite move: an uppercut between his legs.  
  
He groaned in pain slightly and backed away, obviously winded. This is why he hated fighting women: they would always try that move. Maki was already coming at him, her fists ready to do some more damage. He waited until she was only a few feet from him and he dashed past her, got behind her, and wrapped his arms around her middle. Well, it wasn't her middle that his one arm was around.  
  
Maki felt Rift's one hand place itself on her chest and then be taken away quickly. But the damage had been done. Everything in Maki's mind went black except for memories of what Hazanko had done to her decades ago. The memories played as if they had just happened, each crystal clear in her mind. Then, the surroundings went back to normal, but instead of Rift holding her, it was Hazanko.  
  
With a scream she broke his hold and backed away from him, her arms extended in front of her. "Get away from me!"  
  
Rift had no idea of what was going on. She had just gone ballistic all of the sudden. Well, he had accidentally grabbed her "there" but he removed his hand as soon as he realized it. He knew she'd be mad, but he never expected this. "Whoa! Wait a minute! I didn't mean to do that. You don't have to go ballistic on me!"  
  
Maki heard this, but she saw Hazanko saying it, not Rift. "You lying bastard! That was intentional, and you damn well know it!"  
  
Rift stepped towards her and extended his arm, his hand just barely brushing against hers. Very bad idea.  
  
Maki let out a piercing scream and energy seemed to build up within her and then it was released. She was temporarily blinded by a flash of light. When the light faded she saw what the energy had done. Rift and Davis laid on the ground, unconscious, and their clothes in tatters.  
  
She sank to the ground. What had she done? Hazanko was never there. It was just a nightmare in mental form. She though Rift was Hazanko. She quickly picked both of them up and slung them over her shoulders. Her ship was not too far away, so she would take them there to treat any wounds they may have.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
He woke up groggily and tried to sit himself up in the small bed, but found it a bit difficult. His muscles ached all over. What had that woman done to him? And where was he? He placed a hand on his forehead and leaned against the metal wall.  
  
The door slid open and allowed the woman to enter holding a small tray. She closed the door and pulled a chair up to his bed, sitting down next to him. "What did you do to me?"  
  
She lowered her head. "I'm not quite sure, but I'm sorry about that. I really didn't mean to."  
  
"How can you not mean to do something?" He shivered a bit and rubbed his arms, finding no sleeves. He then inspected his chest, finding it bare. He looked under the covers. "Um... Why am I naked?"  
  
She blushed at this. "Oh. Sorry about that too. When I did that energy blast thing, which knocked you unconscious, it took your clothes with it. Fortunately, your brother only received a fragment of the blast and most of his clothes were intact. He woke up before you did and went to get some clothes for you."  
  
"And, why did you do that energy thing?" He was now gripping the covers to hold them around his waist, afraid that they would slide down.  
  
"Well, when you grabbed my chest, and I believe it was only accidental, you triggered some really bad memories. Let's just say that I did not have a very good childhood. And, I saw you as the man that.... Anyway, I saw you as him and went a bit crazy. And I don't know how I did the energy blast, but fortunately it didn't do that much damage. Seems all it really did to you was destroy your clothes and bruise a few muscles."  
  
Maki looked up at Rift now. He was very handsome, with a well built body and short black hair framing his kind face. She unintentionally blushed and then looked down at the tray of food she had brought him. "Um, I brought you some food. It's only an MRE, but it's edible enough."  
  
Rift sat up to take the tray with a bowl filled with what looked like beef stew. He took a small spoonful and ate it, his face contorting into odd shapes. "No wonder you stay so thin. You can't eat much of this shit."  
  
She blushed even harder. "Well, I've gotten used to it. Besides, I don't need to eat every day anyway."  
  
"What do you mean you don't need to eat everyday?"  
  
"Well, I'm a bio-android. That's how I was able to get you and your brother here to my ship."  
  
"Wait a second. You're a bio-android and you own a ship?" She nodded. "How is that possible? I thought bio-androids assisted the crew of a ship, but didn't own one themselves."  
  
"I'm the only one on this ship. My other crew member died thir....Never mind." She stood up and took the tray with her, leaving Rift alone in the room.  
  
"What a weird woman," he said under his breath.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N There's still a lot I haven't explained about Maki yet, so just keep reading to find out. 


	5. Job

A/N I think it's been about 5 months since I updated this fic, maybe less, but I haven't updated it in awhile. School just left barely any time to update. But now I'm updating. Hope you like this chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own Galactica, which, if you forgot, is the planet Maki is on right now. Galactica belongs to AlphaBlades.  
  
Maki sighed as she took the metal tray to the ship's kitchen. Why had those memories of Hazanko triggered such a powerful response? She hadn't even realized an attack like that was possible. Most bio-androids couldn't perform high-powered sonic waves, and the ones that could were military models. And those military models, she gathered from news reports and newspapers, were only about twelve years old. She was more than forty years old. Although, she hadn't aged at all in thirty years, but she couldn't possibly be a military model bio-android.  
  
She walked slowly and did not pay attention to the things going on around her. She barely noticed when she bumped into Davis, sending him to the floor, clothes lying scattered about. "Oh, sorry about that, Davis." She looked at the clothes on the floor. Her face turned beet red when she saw a pair of white boxers on top of her little robot's head. ((If you forgot, she got the robot in the first chapter.)) She giggled and then started laughing hysterically.  
  
After she managed to get a grip of herself, she helped Davis up, although she would have thought he would have gotten up by now. Davis didn't seem to notice the boxers on her robot's head as he was picking up clothes. "Davis, you might want to get Rift's boxers off of my robot's head. They don't make a very nice hat." He turned around and snatched them off, and then went to Rift's room.  
  
"That girl is a weird one. She acted as though she hadn't seen guy's underwear before," Davis said, his back turned as Rift was getting dressed.  
  
"Well, they were on her robot's head, weren't they? I think that's pretty funny. I mean, I would have laughed, and I see guy's underwear everyday." Rift looked at his brother, who had turned around, a weird look on his face. "Oh, I'd better rephrase that. I see MY boxers everyday, but them being on her robot's head would be funny." He put on a black shirt, making him fully dressed.  
  
"Well, she's still weird. I mean, what type of girl kicks a guy's ass in five minutes flat?"  
  
Rift smirked. "One hell of a girl."  
  
It had been thirteen days since Rift and Maki fought, and the Venus Eclipse was now fully repaired. Although, Maki had no idea where to go. Galactica was a planet she had never heard of, so she assumed she wouldn't know what system she was in. And she didn't like the idea of launching and going to just anywhere. So, she started to look around for mercenary jobs. She was still a good fighter, so she felt no need to waste her skills.  
  
Earlier that day, she had gotten word of a potential employer, but that's all she knew, besides his address. She wandered around, trying to find the building, when she saw a huge line of people in front of a building. When she looked up, she saw that the building was the one she was looking for. Her hopes fell. No way in hell would she get a job with this many people trying to get it too. Well, there wasn't any harm in trying, so she decided to wait in line.  
  
The wait took forever until she finally reached the small desk at which a business-type man was sitting, black-suited bodyguards all around him. He laughed when she came up to him. "Is this a joke? You look like a high- school student with no muscle, and you're a girl. I'm sorry, but you'd die even before you got to the location. Next!"  
  
Maki slammed her hand on the desk. "Wait. I'm not a high-school student, and I have a great deal of muscle. You just can't see it. As well, I'm a bio-android." The man stopped laughing.  
  
"Well now, that's a whole different story. How old are you, which model are you, what can you do, and what information is stored in your hard drive?"  
  
"I am a little more than four decades old, though I was asleep for three of those decades. I'm not a mass-produced model of bio-android, but a prototype that never made it to the board of director's to be approved. My model number is 0001, with the codename Eternity. However, that is not my name. I can perform all functions humans can, with added strength, speed, and accuracy. However, part of my database was never completed, so I am not sure of any other abilities I may possess. My hard drive never had anything on it, so it became a recorder, automatically modified to record only specific memories that had any significance to my development, plus any I wished to keep. Any other information you require?"  
  
"Yes. What is your name and what type of ship do you have, if you have one?"  
  
Maki hesitated. She didn't like the idea of giving out her real name to people she didn't have to. A few people already knew it, but that couldn't be helped. "My name is Kashamie Manare and I own a grappler ship. It is very fast and I've rarely had problems beating an adversary with it." She shuddered at herself for using her dead friend's name, but she felt Kashamie's name should still have a presence. She had earned it, more so than Maki could ever hope to pay back.  
  
The man smiled. "Well, are you the crew of your ship, or are there others?"  
  
"I'm the crew."  
  
"Good. I believe we can work something out. Have you heard of Adragon?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, it's a very powerful space station, very well protected, and it is home to several bandits who have been destroying several of my company's cargo ships, and we haven't been able to get many supplies to our stores, so profits have dropped significantly. As you can see, we really need the get rid of the bandits in order for my company to recover. We've almost broken even, and soon we'll be losing money. So, are you interested?" She nodded. "Well, please come inside. We'll discuss your payment and you'll receive more information about the station."  
  
A bodyguard led her through a narrow hallway and into a small room. Sitting on a large couch were Davis and Rift.  
  
They both spoke up at the same time. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?"  
  
A/N Probably shorter than some of my others, but at least I'm updating. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. The next chapter will be more interesting, I promise. 


	6. Plot

A/N: Been awhile since I updated this one. Anyway, hope you enjoy.  
  
Disclaimer: Galactica belongs to AlphaBlades.  
  
Maki sat beside Davis and Rift on the large couch, taking in that this mission obviously needed more than one person. She leaned over to Rift, who was right beside her, and whispered to him. "Listen, I told them that my name is Kashamie Manare, so don't call me Maki, okay?" She looked at Rift for his confirmation, but only found a puzzled look. "What's the matter?"  
  
Rift whispered back to her. "Um, your name is Maki?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. I would hope you remembered my name."  
  
"Well, you never told me your name. Never, in all the times we saw each other. So, Maki, eh? That's a pretty name. Is there a last name that goes with it?"  
  
Maki was blushing. He was right. She had never told him her name. She felt quite belittled at the moment. "Oh, I had forgotten about that. My last name is Zou....Um, never mind. I shouldn't be giving away my last name." However, she had said enough of her last name to tell him who she was.  
  
"You're Maki Zouw! You're that famous woman who had the largest bounty on her head in the entire universe, and in history! No bounties that size have ever been placed since. You were thought to be dead thirty years ago, killed by the leader of the Kei Pirates, Hazanko. Wait a sec..." He though for a moment. Maki was furious. He had said all this out loud. She hoped no one else could hear them. Well, she didn't need to whisper now anyway. "No wonder you were pissed off at me and did that weird attack thing. Hazanko raped you, didn't he? It was a well-circulated rumor, but no one ever found any truth to it."  
  
"It's true," she said softly. "He raped me every night for nearly three months. I was so afraid. My mind was still very young...." Tears streamed down her face and she sobbed gently. "When I was first brought to him, my mind was only a few months old, to what I remember anyway, and my body, fully functional, was only a few days old. I barely knew how to use it myself, but Hazanko did what he wanted with it...." She couldn't speak anymore. Her face was flooded with tears and she sobbed even louder than before.  
  
Rift felt he had to do something, but he did not know what. All he knew to do was apologize. "I'm sorry, about what happened to you. I shouldn't have done that. I didn't think there was any truth to that rumor, but it makes sense now that I think about it." He pulled out a handkerchief from his shirt pocket, handing it to her. "Here, you should dry your eyes before the guy comes to discuss payment."  
  
Maki took the handkerchief and dabbed her eyes with it lightly, trying not to make her face even more red than it already was. "Thank you," she said in a small voice.  
  
"Your welcome." All this time, Davis sat at rapt attention, trying not to look at either of them. He didn't want to interrupt the discussion. It was interesting to him.  
  
When Maki had dried her eyes, she handed the handkerchief back to Rift. "You know, most people think bio-androids are without emotions, but they're wrong. I feel the same emotions a human does, even if it's because of an emotion chip stored in my hard drive. I feel pain, hunger, sadness, and even love. Love. Now that's something I'm not likely to forget."  
  
Rift looked a bit puzzled. "You've loved? Um, how do you, uh, you know..."  
  
Maki laughed slightly. "Love doesn't mean just that. I mean, I've felt love, and it was returned in kind, once. A kiss, but nothing more. Then, I never saw him again. I've never gone farther than a kiss. Now, if you want to know how I, well, you know, that's not to difficult to understand.  
  
"I'm built like a human, so therefore I can do basically what a human can do, such as what you're talking about. But I've never experienced pleasure, since it was Hazanko who was the only person who bedded me." She then stopped talking and blushed hard. Why was she telling him this? "Why do you care?"  
  
"Just curious is all." He put on a smirk. Maki hit him with a small, amount of force, on his arm.  
  
"Men are annoying." She stood up from the couch and leaned against a wall.  
  
Davis decided to pipe up. "Hey, I haven't done anything to you."  
  
"Except steal her caster," his brother said.  
  
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that."  
  
At this moment, the business man came in. He stood just inside the doorway. "I would like to confirm that both of your ships are grappler ships, correct?" Both Rift and Maki nodded. "Good." He stepped out of the room, closing the door.  
  
"What was that about?" Davis said aloud to nobody in particular. He then felt sleepy and closed his eyes to rest a little.  
  
Maki realized something too late. It seemed the business man took an interest more in the grappler ships right away, but she had not thought anything of it. But now... "Ah, shit!" She tried to break the door, but it was really hard. She glanced back at the men. Both of them were asleep now, and she was beginning to feel tired.  
  
She hit the door once again, but fell to hers knees and slumped down on the floor, asleep.  
  
The metal floor vibrated a little, indicating that people were passing by her. The floor was cold, and what was more apparent was that she had barely any clothes on due to the area of her body that was cold. She opened her eyes and sat up, looking at metal walls all around her, a metal door on one side. Rift and Davis were just waking up too, and they were in their boxers. She looked down at herself and discovered she was only wearing her undergarments as well. It seemed whoever captured them didn't take chances on being able to hide weapons, large ones anyway.  
  
There was a knock at the door. "Are you awake in there?" It was a male voice, though it had a high pitch to it.  
  
"Screw you," said Maki. The door opened, allowing three men in black and red jumpsuits to come in. The one in the middle spoke.  
  
"Hmm. Feisty. Well, you'll soon lose that edge. Welcome to Adragon."  
  
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. 


	7. AdragonBlood

A/N: Hits self on head I'm sooooo sorry I haven't updated in about, what, six months, maybe more? School has been so hectic and I don't get that much time on the computer. Well, I hope this chapter was well worth the wait.

The burly man in the middle of the trio gave off an air of superiority amongst the other two men, and even more so amongst Maki and her cellmates. His face bore several scars, and dark stubble ran across his chin, interrupted by a long scar that ran from his left ear to his neck. "Woman, you will come with me. You two will go with my mates here. Any mischief and we'll personally torture you into a coma, unless we haven't done so already." A wry, sadistic grin came upon his cracked lips.

Maki knew she could take this bastard, but she did not think Rift or Davis could take on the other two men by themselves, especially with firearms. Maki could take a few hits from firearms and still live, but then again she was not human. She put on a stubborn look, but went to the man anyway. "Guys, go with them. You needn't worry about me, just worry about yourselves." She turned to the man.

The sight of her silky skin sent chills down the men's spines. Such perfect skin and picturesque figure were not figures common among the normal female captives. Her ruby lips seemed to beg to be licked, her breasts just sitting there in perfect form. If they were allowed to do what they wanted…….. But, they were not. Her body begged to be used, yet their urges had to be kept at bay, lest they wish to die.

The man grasped hold of Maki's arm, feeling quite a bit more muscle than had been evident. He felt her skin tense up, go hot. She wanted so much to rip him to pieces, yet those two men she had be captured with kept her leashed. As long as no severe harm came to those two men, she would not try anything drastic. "Come, woman. Let's not make a fuss now."

Maki hesitantly went with him. He tugged lightly on her arm, bringing her into the steel hallway. Chills ran up and down her body, the lack of most of her clothes leaving little other reason why. She looked down to her chest, her breasts reacting the way they would to any cold climate. She wanted to put something over herself, so as not to give her captures the pleasure of looking upon her chilled body. It was bad enough that they groped her body with their eyes, but they need not more to gaze upon.

She truly hated most men. Very, very few had ever gotten close enough to her that she would not kill them. Tuno Fardrect….. He would always be carried in her heart. No man possessed the care and warmth he had. He was the type of man who would not pressure a woman into doing anything she did not feel comfortable with. She wished so much that they had done more than kissed, so that he could have shown her what pleasure was. However, thirty years of absence left so much time for him to forget her and move on. He had been the Prime Minister of C'tarl. His advisors would have made him get married and would have made him produce and heir. First love…. Most would tell her that there would be more men. She did not believe that. Men did not get close to her, and her heart was even colder than it had been before.

The lights up above her pulsated iridescent light, causing her skin to appear very pale. The man led her to a doorway at the end of a corridor, opening the door and pushing her inside. The door closed behind her. "Be a good girl, and I might not damage you too badly." A soft, acid-lined voice penetrated her eardrum, froze her body. The voice itself was not familiar, but the tone was oh so familiar. She turned to face the voice.

"You bastard." The eyes that met her own melted away her fear, and brought about rage. "Hazanko. Why does it not surprise in the goddamn least that your ass has slithered from your metal box and found a new body to host your mind? You touch this body, and I will kill you. And every time you resurrect yourself, I will kill you. I will hunt down your database and crush it." Knuckles went white, blood ran hot, and she was just starting to rage.

The smile upon his face pissed her off further. "Oh, pet, you can try, but your friends in the other room mightn't like that too much. You flinch at my touch, and I will have them killed. Leverage is so good to me, don't you agree, pet?" He stepped closer to her.

She glanced around the room, searching for a way out. What she found was a bed, a large bed with warm covers about it; nothing else was in the room besides the overhanging light. "Let me see the two men, and then I may believe what you say." Ice laced her tone. Hazanko was not to be trusted at all.

"As you wish." He pressed a button that opened a metal screen from a window in the left wall. "Go look."

Maki went to the window slowly, making sure Hazanko tried nothing. Blood, bones, two heads……..The remains of Davis and Rift were splayed upon the metal walls and floor, their innards torn to pieces. She felt that they were the real thing.

"Never trust me, pet. 'It was you who—'" A blinding light disintegrated him, rapidly consuming the rest of the base.

Upon waking upon, she noticed her systems had changed form nitrogen/carbon energy to solar energy. White and orange dots showed bright against the black sky. Small pieces of the base floated about. She saw the Venus Eclipse far away, no damage apparent upon its hull. The base was gone, Rift and Davis were dead, their remains disintegrated. Hazanko was dormant.

Tears ran down her cheeks and froze to her skin.

A/N: I hope this one was worth the wait. Any one expecting that? Anyway, the next chapter will be quite interesting, I assure you. See you for now.


	8. Irony

A/N Here is the 8th chapter. I felt like updating soon after my last chapter.

Disclaimer: Strife belongs to AlphaBlades, not me.

Note: This chapter is RATED R for sexual content. This is not happy fluffy romance content. So, if rape disturbs you, don't read.

* * *

The Venus Eclipse came alongside her, opening a small hatch for her to go into. Maki just stared at it, more tears freezing to her skin. Davis and Rift had been killed by the man she hated; they had been killed because of her. Kashamie had died because of her.

Cold titanium clasped around Maki, bringing her to the open hatch; Vena apparently operated one of the grappler arms. As soon as air pumped into the second section of the air lock, the iced tears turned back into a liquid, dripping down her cheeks and chin. Frosty salt caked on her skin in thin streams where her tears had been.

As her body changed back to nitrogen/carbon energy usage, sharp needle-like pains covered her body. Being a bio-android, frostbite was not quite an issue, though it hurt like hell anyway. Her mechanical frame had pumped minute amounts of antifreeze into her blood, keeping it from freezing. If her blood cells had frozen, they would have all died, severely crippling her.

"Maki, it is necessary for us to leave now. Those men tried to override my systems with a virus implant. I am blocking the implant's signal for now, but 56 more hours and I will not be able to do so. There is a port about 16 hours away from here that has sufficient technology to remove the implant. Shall I set a course?" Vena's voice was slightly crackled, showing that she was blocking the signal.

Maki just wished to stay in one place, though she knew that was an idiotic action. She felt horrible, and would for awhile, but death was part of life. If she did not deal with it, she would succumb to it.

"Yes, set a course. I need to buy some clothes anyway. Strife will be pissed off when I tell him I incinerated his trench coat. Also, going around in my undergarments isn't very warm." Maki left the air lock and headed to her bedroom. She was quite tired and knew some sleep would do her good. "Wake me up when we arrive."

* * *

Warm, sticky……Something stuck to her hands. Upon opening her eyes she wishes them closed, yet they did not. Blood, so much blood…..It flowed all over her body. The scent was of Davis and Rift, and more predominantly of Kashamie.

She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Then, the blood disappeared. She was in a bed with thick covers, on top of the covers. Her body bore no clothes and heat swam over her.

A man, thick muscled and slightly grotesque, hovered over her. His tongue forced into her mouth, attacking hers, bruising her mouth. His hands groped down her body, squeezing her breasts and slipping into the untested space between her legs. He was not gentle, not slipping in slowly. He plunged his finger into her, not waiting long to place another in. They pulled muscles she did not even know she had.

His tongue slithered out of her mouth, trailing down her chin, the creases of her throat and collarbone. It traced her nipples and his teeth took them into his mouth one at a time, sucking on them hard. When he trailed further, blood flowed lightly down her breasts. He nipped at her downy stomach, kissing her navel, and moved further. The soft hair brushed against his cheeks and chin. He snaked out his tongue and took a long, salty taste. His tongue felt better in that space, yet it still hurt. However, chains binding her arms and legs disallowed resistance.

At the moment he tasted her moist folds, his desire became greater, more noticeable against his pants. He slipped off her, removing his pants and undergarment, his organ freed from the confines of cloth. She had never seen one before, and it scared her.

Climbing back on top of her, he took several more long tastes of her body. Taking his hands, he spread apart her legs farther than the chains had spread them. In one swift thrust, he sunk into her depths, piercing the thin membrane that made girls women. Tears flowed from her eyes, the pain increasing with every thrust, the pulled muscles seeing to that.

At his climax, he filled her with his essence and fell on top of her. A few minutes later, she was taken to a cold, dank dungeon.

* * *

Maki woke up in a start, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks. She observed her body, feeling phantom pain in many areas. Checking her breasts, she saw the several small scars around her nipples that Hazanko had widened and deepened every time he had bedded her.

Covering her chest with her arms, she hung low and cried, her tears soaking the white sheets.

* * *

The port city of Dashwanall was very nice and clean, and quite tight on security. The Venus Eclipse was in the docks and being repaired. Maki had taken a bed sheet and formed it into a makeshift toga. She wanted to find a clothing store immediately.

A general clothing store was near her, as was a gothic/punk clothing store. She needed to buy a trench coat so she figured the gothic/punk store would be much better for that.

Upon entering the store, strange glances followed her around. She noticed several trench coats, but she decided to buy clothes for herself first.

She tried on a black tank-top, black pants, and boots. Black was not her color of choice, but they looked the best on her. She took off the price tags, keeping on the clothes, grabbed a few pairs of socks, underwear, and bras, and paid for them.

The trench coats were varied in size, shape, and color. She found a very long, black coat that was almost identical to Strife's old one. She slung it over her arm, but another trench coat caught her eyes. It was red leather and about the right size for her. She tried it one and looked in the mirror. Smiling, she bought both trench coats.

A few hours later, she came back to the Venus Eclipse, Vena's hard drive having been removed of the virus implant. "Vena, feeling better?"

"Yes, quite."

"Good. Can you record a message for me? I want to send it to the Outlaw Star, and I am pretty sure we're out of communication range with the shirt range coms."

"Yes. Just say 'Record' when you wish to start. Say 'End' to stop recording."

Maki took in a deep breath. "Record……Hello all. This message is for Strife…..So, Strife, how have you been? Good, I assume. Well, you know that trench coat you lent me? Well……I kinda incinerated it. But, you don't need to freak out about it 'cause I bought you a brad spankin' new one. So, I was wondering when and where you and everyone else can meet with me. I can give you your new trench coat and I can catch up on things. Anyway, reply soon. Stay safe. Hope to see you soon……End."

* * *

A/N: The last paragraph there is an example of dramatic irony. If you have not read AlpahBlades' "An Outlaw's Dream", you won't understand why. Sorry if you didn't catch the reasoning behind the last bit. Anyway, see you soon. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. 


	9. Christmas Special

Christmas Special

A/N: this chapter has very little relevance to the actual fic. But, I felt like doing a Christmas chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Mars. She had not returned for thirty years. Every year, she would visit the graves of her parents; or more specifically the graves of the woman who she was cloned from and her family. Monotomo Peilei had killed them for petty reasons, on Halloween, thirty-five years ago.

The dock could barely hold her ship, but it did; the place she was going was not a very high-traffic area. Dark-grey clouds covered the Martian sky, making morning seem as evening. The temperature had dropped drastically for winter, and Maki was slightly unprepared for the cold weather.

The last time she had visited Mars it had been autumn, and the temperatures were comfortable. Now, the temperatures were in the low 30s to the high 20s. Fortunately, she found a clothing store nearby and bought a long, white coat.

Stopping by an indoor florist, she bought three long-stemmed roses. As she climbed into a rusty taxi, snow began to fall from the clouds. Not surprising. It was Christmas Eve, and Mars always had snow for Christmas.

Cold, white snow crunched under her boots as she walked through the graveyard. Section 371C, Row 6….She'd always remember those numbers; they represented where her family was laid to rest. She found the three headstones easily enough.

Kneeling down, she placed one rose on each grave. The woman she was cloned from, her husband, and her son, were all buried here. Maki prayed for them, and tears started to flow down her cheeks. They had been so kind to her….

For nearly an hour she sat by the graves, her tears now gone. She stood up and paid her last respects, and then left. The taxi was gone, so she decided to walk to her hotel; the Venus Eclipse was being tuned and repaired.

As she walked she noticed an open field, one she used the play in. She walked into it. The snow was falling harder, but she did not mind. For some nostalgic reason, she began to hum a Christmas song.

"Da…dadada….Da….dadada….Dadeedadada…Da…dadadada…" She began to dance to her tune, holding her hands out as if she had a partner. "Da…dadada…Da…dadada…Dadadeedeedada…" She felt at peace dancing, yet a voice broke that peace.

"I thought snow angels were myths, yet I find myself staring at the most angelic snow I have ever seen." Maki turned to see a man cloaked in a black coat and blue jeans. His hair was black and slightly unkempt, his eyes a beautiful jade green. His chin had a bit of stubble on it, just enough to make him gorgeous…

Maki blushed. She had not found a man attractive in a very long time, and she did not really want to. "Care to dance?" He stepped up to her and held out his hands. She felt calm around him for some reason. She took his hands and they began to dance in the snow.

After a few minutes of silent dancing, the man let her go, and she got a better look at him. The way his muscles were and the way her held himself, he was easily in his thirties. However, he was very young-looking and seemed kind.

Taking her hand, he kissed it softly and held it in his hands. "May I ask your residence so we may continue this ball again sometime?"

"Oh. I don't live here. I'm staying in the Bush Hotel, the Harris Suite. But, I'll be leaving in two days. My ship will be ready by then."…..She had just told a complete stranger where she was staying….What an idiot she was. She looked down and then back up, but the man was gone.

The walk to the hotel was not very long, though she was very thankful for the heated conditions inside the hotel. Her suite smelled faintly of pine and cinnamon, the result of the Christmas tree in the living room area. However, underneath the tree was a package that had not been there before.

It was large, about 2'x3'x1', and wrapped in silver paper with a white bow on top. She looked at the small card attached to the package. "To: The Lovely Angel. From: The Masked Man. 'Open as soon as you can and then come to the address inside the box. You'll have a grand time."

Maki took the box to the couch and opened it up, gazing at the white silk. The dress was pure white silk, with a V-neck front and a low back. There was white gossamer for sleeves and in between the two long slits in the skirt. As well, there were two long gossamer trails from either shoulder that flowed down the back; a white eye mask with two feathers at the corner of each eye was also in the box. The last thing was an invitation to a Christmas costume ball.

She decided whoever had done this deserved her attention for at least a little while. She changed into the dress and got into a taxi, ignoring the cold.

Inside the large hall were several people in various costumes, all dancing and having a good time. Maki looked all about for the "Masked Man", but found it hard. Finally, she sat down in a chair and took a break from searching.

"My angelic snow. So glad you could come." Maki looked up and saw a man dressed as Zorro, his hand held out. His eyes and his chin gave away that he was the man she had danced with in the snow. She took his hand and he pulled her up. "You look beautiful in the dress. I'm glad it fits."

"Why did you do all this for me? We don't even know each other, yet you gave me a dress and a mask, and you invited me to this party. Why?"

He just smiled. "You danced by yourself. A person only does that if they are lonely. This is Christmas Eve. You should have fun." After this, he took her to his chest and began a waltz with her.

The ball lasted well into the night. The man took Maki back to her suite. "Sir, may I ask your name before you go?"

He removed his mask, and hers, smiling. Placing his hand upon her cheek, he kissed her softly, their lips together for a good few minutes, but his tongue never invading. It was perfect. "My name is Drake Atnas."

Maki, her eyes closed during that moment of bliss, opened them, but saw that he had gone. Strange. She stepped inside of her suite, and stared at the enormous pile of packages under the tree, all wrapped in colorful paper. Who….Atnas….Santa!

Maki smiled wide. Santa had given her presents, and a day with her dream man. This was the best Christmas ever.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. This pertains to almost none of the actual fic, except the man will make a different appearance later in the fic. However, the reactions and whatnot, and the conditions of their meeting are much different. Also, the man will have much more depth to his character.

Happy Belated Christmas.


	10. She's Back

A/N: Please don't kill me. I know it's been more than a year since I updated this fic. However, I just bought the Outlaw Star anime, and have just finished watching it. (I love the intro.) Anyway, having not updated it for so long, I've become a better writer, and I have plenty of ideas. I hope to be updating this fic regularly, at least once or twice a month. (I hope.)

Disclaimer: Strife, and this time-frame, belong to AlphaBlades.

She sighed and laid back in the chair. Damn Strife, never knew when to check his messages. There had been no communication between her and the Outlaw Star in over three months. Personally, she assumed Strife had his head up his ass, or was dead. Either way, he was not replying to her. Though, that did not explain why the other crew members of the Outlaw Star were ignoring her messages.

The first message she had sent him had merely been a quick how-do-you-do and info about his new coat. However, after there was no response to that message, she sent the Outlaw Star a message every week to find out about them and their whereabouts...And nothing had come back to her.

"Incoming message." The chair creaked as she whipped up, her heart pounding in anticipation. Was it the Outlaw Star?

"Patch it through." Not the Outlaw Star, then. It was a merchant vessel. Her heart sank.

"Captain of the Venus Eclipse, I hate to sound imposing, but my ship is experiencing engine failure, and I was wondering if it would be at all possible to tow us to a station nearby." And the man quickly added: "For payment, of course."

"The security at Migong Station already informed of your situation. Unfortunately, I'm contracted out to them, so I'm afraid your payment to them will probably be steeper than if I had just happened by. My apologies." This was boring. Sure, she had had plenty of money left in her savings accounts, until The Venus Eclipse's hull plating suddenly decided to crack upon entry into Misong. Apparently thirty years in sub-zero conditions had weakened the hull plating, and with multiple entries and lift-offs, the plating couldn't handle it anymore. Unfortunately, the cost of replacing every bit of external metal had used up most of her savings, so now she had to work. It wasn't much different than a few months ago, accept that at that time she had no access to her accounts. "Please prepare for guidance wire impact in three, two, one, impact."

Migong Station easily held the Venus Eclipse and the merchant vessel, in one dock. The merchant vessel, however, was taken away to a separate dock for repairs. Once she stepped outside the main hatch, a man in uniform showed her the transfer of the 1500 wong into her account and was then on his way. There was no reason for her to stay in the station, now that she had sufficient wong for the fuel to and the docking expenses at Heiphon City.

"I just received launch clearance from the flight room. Are we leaving now?" Vena asked as Maki sat down in the flight chair. No matter how long Vena had been dormant, she still managed to sound almost more than an AI.

The chair was still as uncomfortable as ever, with no cushions to speak of. "Yes, we are. Prepare engines and the ether drives."

"And our destination?"

"Heiphon City."

As far as cities were concerned, Heiphon City was one of the largest and noisiest ones she had ever been to. It was not her first time here, but it certainly had been a long while. The last time she had been here was because of the Fourteenth Heiphon Space Race; she wondered if they were still carrying on that tradition. No matter, it was the wrong time of year for it anyway. She had business to attend to.

The Lowe's office building had hardly changed over the years, except maybe for being a bit pinker than she remembered. Fred Lowe had been a man she had only met once, but he seemed honorable enough. Besides, he was too young back then to have died on her in thirty years, she hoped.

When she walked in all the shiny metal made her dizzy. That was something new to her. Sure, weapons changed all the time, but for most it was a gradual change; she had not been into a large weapons store since coming out of cryostasis. She grabbed her bearings and made them stick as she walked across the display room.

"Do you have an appointment?" Two guards in black suits were positioned on either side of the doorway at the end of the display room.

"Yes, as 1300 hours for Ms. Zouw." The guards checked the name and the time in a handheld computer and then directed her to a chair to the side of the door since she was early.

Not long after the door opened to let out a few men and the guards directed her inside. "Ah, good day, Ms...Zouw? That's an odd name? Is it real?" Fred Lowe, no, someone too young to be Fred, sat behind the desk and held out his arm towards the chair in front of him.

"It's German," she said nonchalantly as she sat down in the chair. Was it just the oddness of her name that made him ask, or did she still have a reputation to deal with? Fifty-million wong was a big motivator to take up bounty hunting. "You are not Fred Lowe. Are you acquainted with him?"

"He's my father. Now, Ms. Zouw, what is it that you are looking for? You did not specify when you made the appointment." He did not look like Fred, but then again he was probably adopted. She at least knew that Fred had had an interest in Gene Starwind, and was probably full-on gay. Therefore, the only was for his family to not disown him would be to adopt a son...it made sense.

"I am not looking for weapons. Actually, I had hoped to speak with your father. You see, he has connections to people that I wish to contact, and I wanted to know if he had heard from them."

The man sat back in his chair, his hand on his chin. "Ms. Zouw, would you give me the name of the party you are interested in? Perhaps I can be of some help."

"The crew of the Outlaw Star." His manner changes drastically, his body becoming defensive, protective.

"I am sorry, but I cannot tell you anything about them. If you have no other business, I bid you a good afternoon."

He knew something, she thought as she walked out the office. He knew something but was not about to tell her. Something had happened to the Outlaw Star and/or her crew, and she had to find out what.

A/N: For those of you who have read this, kudos. That probably means you're actually happy for another chapter to have been put up...Or you want to yell at me for taking so long. I hope you enjoyed it.


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